Training Log Archive: expressoIn the 31 days ending Jul 31, 2007:
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Monday Jul 30, 2007 #
Note
Easy bike ride to Adler with J & K for a round of disc golf. Hot day with lots of HS kids playing. There was a crowd around the first tee so I hoped not to shank my drive into a nearby tree. I took my old Stingray disc (older than all the kids there) and cranked an beauty the full distance to the hole and even banked it slightly around the screening bushes in front of the basket. J & K followed with two of their best throws of the day. Good start for all of us and my first birdie ever on that hole. I also birdied 3 and I sensed a below par round... but not to be as I tightened-up on my putts and eventually fell to +1 for the 9 hole round (my best ever at Adler).
We planned to go swimming but they were closed for swimming lessons so we decided to come back later and I went home for a...
We planned to go swimming but they were closed for swimming lessons so we decided to come back later and I went home for a...
Run (path) 43:00 [2] 5.1 mi (8:26 / mi)
shoes: Mizuno WR 601
Carmel lap in heat and humidity. I felt a little sluggish at the beginning but really loosened-up after a mile and pushed it to leave time for a swim. Made it back in good time and we had a nice swim and a bunch of dives. Katie is close to a forward 1.5 (pretty cool).
Sunday Jul 29, 2007 #
Run (path) 40:00 [2] 4.5 mi (8:53 / mi)
shoes: Mizuno WC 608
Reverse Adler lap and stopped at the park to shoot a round of disc golf with the family.
Note
Beautiful day for disc golf. Everyone's game improved. Although my +7 round was not my best at Adler, my drives and approaches are improving yet my putting is still pretty bad (must be the disc ;-).
Sunday Jul 22, 2007 #
Run long (path) 1:28:00 [2] 9.2 mi (9:34 / mi)
shoes: Mizuno WC 608
Easy run on the VH to 120 and back. I had never been this far north on the path and really like this part. There were lots of friendly (and fast) runners to greet. It felt good to be home. I reflected on many aspects of my Finland experience; it was a holistically great experience for me.
Restricting myself to the orienteering perspectives; I was very impressed by the Finnish orienteers. They are profoundly skilled and fast in that terrain. I am certain that this holds for the other Scandi and many European countries but relatively few of them attended WMOC and FIn5. I was also impressed by what I accomplished there. The results are not indicative (to me) of how well I did with much of the orienteering there. Many were good but my final race was exceptional (for me). I had the absolute first start (hours before the rest of my age group) and had no tracks or other paople in the forest. I spiked nearly every control (all of them difficult) at a pace of 11:35 min/k in the VERY slow forest. This was a great way to finish my trip there and is just one of many great memories.
Restricting myself to the orienteering perspectives; I was very impressed by the Finnish orienteers. They are profoundly skilled and fast in that terrain. I am certain that this holds for the other Scandi and many European countries but relatively few of them attended WMOC and FIn5. I was also impressed by what I accomplished there. The results are not indicative (to me) of how well I did with much of the orienteering there. Many were good but my final race was exceptional (for me). I had the absolute first start (hours before the rest of my age group) and had no tracks or other paople in the forest. I spiked nearly every control (all of them difficult) at a pace of 11:35 min/k in the VERY slow forest. This was a great way to finish my trip there and is just one of many great memories.
Bike (mtn) 2:30:00 [1]
Bike trip with Jill south along the DRT until it "ended." Beautiful day. Stopped in Wright Woods for a picnic lunch. It's great to be home.
Saturday Jul 21, 2007 #
Note
Woke up at five for shower, shave and final packing. C and C drove me to the airport (thanks guys!!). For some unexplained reason, I could only get boarding pass through Amsterdam but luggage tagged for home. I enjoyed watching the map as the three hour flight took us by Sweden and over Denmark. Aerial view of the many canals and dikes in Holland was fascinating.
I had a tight connection so, when we landed a long way from terminal and drove for 15 min, it was quite maddening and stressful for me. I wanted to be home ASAP and I didn't want any "travel hell" on they way there. Then followed a LONG walk to other end of the long, windy airport to transfer center and gate. When I checked-in for my boarding pass the United woman said, "Ahh, we've been expecting you." and processed me quickly and directed me to the gate. I was SOOOO relieved that I was had no problem with the involved interview process about bags and travel plans/reasons. I boarded just in time and settled into my aisle seat for the long flight home. On the way I reviewed courses, journalled & watched two dumb but distracting movies (300 and In the Land of Women). I again watched the map and saw us make landfall over Newfoundland, cross Canada and Michigan on the way to O'hare. The map scale was just small enough to display Lake Geneva in WI and I remembered my spring race around it. I thought, "Wow!! what a season I've already had."
I was expecting one last insult of lines and bureaucracy to get through immigration and customs at O'hare. I was relieved that this was not the case. In fact, the immigration official cleared me in seconds but was intrigued by my mentioning orienteering as my reason for visiting Finland so we chatted about it for a minute or so. He dismissed me with, "Welcome back." and these words resonated in me as I was so happy to be home. Within minutes I was hugging Jill and revelling in the beautiful sunny weather. Wow, what a difference to my spirits!! We celebrated at a local mexican restaurant where I gorged myself on chips & salsa. Ahhhh, the tastes of home.
I had a tight connection so, when we landed a long way from terminal and drove for 15 min, it was quite maddening and stressful for me. I wanted to be home ASAP and I didn't want any "travel hell" on they way there. Then followed a LONG walk to other end of the long, windy airport to transfer center and gate. When I checked-in for my boarding pass the United woman said, "Ahh, we've been expecting you." and processed me quickly and directed me to the gate. I was SOOOO relieved that I was had no problem with the involved interview process about bags and travel plans/reasons. I boarded just in time and settled into my aisle seat for the long flight home. On the way I reviewed courses, journalled & watched two dumb but distracting movies (300 and In the Land of Women). I again watched the map and saw us make landfall over Newfoundland, cross Canada and Michigan on the way to O'hare. The map scale was just small enough to display Lake Geneva in WI and I remembered my spring race around it. I thought, "Wow!! what a season I've already had."
I was expecting one last insult of lines and bureaucracy to get through immigration and customs at O'hare. I was relieved that this was not the case. In fact, the immigration official cleared me in seconds but was intrigued by my mentioning orienteering as my reason for visiting Finland so we chatted about it for a minute or so. He dismissed me with, "Welcome back." and these words resonated in me as I was so happy to be home. Within minutes I was hugging Jill and revelling in the beautiful sunny weather. Wow, what a difference to my spirits!! We celebrated at a local mexican restaurant where I gorged myself on chips & salsa. Ahhhh, the tastes of home.
Friday Jul 20, 2007 #
Run warm up/down 15:00 [2] 1.5 mi (10:00 / mi)
shoes: Montrail Vitesse 610
Up at 6:30 after ok night sleep. Cloudy morning. Said goodbyes to dormmates and at competition site by 8. I was granted yesterday's request for an early start at 8:58 so I hustled to get ready and jog out there. Leg was steadily recovering but would again slow me down quite a bit but I hoped to use this to my advantage by nailing on my navigation.
Orienteer race 1:32:21 [4] ***** 7.98 km (11:34 / km)
shoes: Montrail Vitesse 610
First tracks through the moss and swamps. It was neat to see the start area work so smoothly and I made sure to thank everyone for the past week. At my start I walked out to set my tone that his was going to be a clean race for me and that running speed was secondary.
It was a clean race and I was really navigating comfortably the whole time. It's amazing to recall how uncomfortable I was with the terrain and mapping style at the beginning of the week and even more so when I first arrived in Finland. I learned a lot and hope that I remember these hard-earned lessons when I need them.
It was a clean race and I was really navigating comfortably the whole time. It's amazing to recall how uncomfortable I was with the terrain and mapping style at the beginning of the week and even more so when I first arrived in Finland. I learned a lot and hope that I remember these hard-earned lessons when I need them.
Note
After our races, I showered in the tent and cleaned clothes and shoes. I ate some lefttover pizza for lunch while waiting for Clark (unhappy with his race, as usual). Did some final o-shopping and found o-suit for Jill. We drove to Helsinki in the rai; the only days that I'm certain it did not rain on our trip were the rest days at both competitions. We made a lucky hotel find and got the last room there. I got all of my bags packed for the early departure tomorrow; I arrived with one carry-on and returned with 2 checked pieces and a carry-on. The rain finally stopped and we headed out for a pint and dinner. Nice city but lacked the oppulent architecture of many other European cities. Walked the Esplanade to harbor and saw a live jazz band and Viking Line cruise ship arrive. Ate at a mediocre Thai restaurant. Clark and Charlie wanted to continue exploring and drinking so I headed back to hotel solo for some TV and early sleep. Ahhhh, this seemed the most comfortable bed that I've ever slept in.
Thursday Jul 19, 2007 #
Orienteer race 1:40:16 [4] ***** 8.32 km (12:03 / km)
shoes: Montrail Vitesse 610
After a poor night sleep, up 7:15 to breakfast. Thigh better from ice & ibs but very tight so I limped. Body and o-clothes were quite raunchy from no cleaning yesterday. This was another low point but would soon improve. I walked (& jogged a bit) to my 11:30 start with Charlie. He was so positive and supportive then (and the whole time in Finland) so I am really lucky to have him as a friend and fellow o-traveller.
Although I was hobbled and almost completely favoring my left leg, this was a very good race for me. I set the tone my walking out of the starting shoot and planning a good route to 1. By the time I was jogging the starters from a minute later blew by me (no problem). Everything (except my speed) was on through control 6. I was really getting comfortable with the map and terrain even though it was more complex than earlier in the week. I got a little cocky with my route choice to 7 because I planned a stretch through featureless green toward a rocky area with a lot of parallel error potential. Sure enough, I made a big one and it took me a while to recover from it. 8 was inside a natural chimney and wins as the most hidden control of the whole trip, however I navigated to it easily. I tripped over another stump on the way to 9 and hit the ground hard but fortunately the damage was more diffused so I just let out a groan and lay there for about 30 seconds wondering why I was subjecting myself to all this in a rain soaked field 4000 miles from home. Then I got up and spiked the last four controls and remembered how much I love the challenge of the sport. On the way I had to wade through multiple 4 foot deep drainage canals, spring from mossy pillow to pillow through the swamps, climb slippery, lichen covered rock and dodge the prevalent stumps and deadfall. This was all part of the daily orienteering experience in Finland and I simply loved it. Finished 44 of 49.
Although I was hobbled and almost completely favoring my left leg, this was a very good race for me. I set the tone my walking out of the starting shoot and planning a good route to 1. By the time I was jogging the starters from a minute later blew by me (no problem). Everything (except my speed) was on through control 6. I was really getting comfortable with the map and terrain even though it was more complex than earlier in the week. I got a little cocky with my route choice to 7 because I planned a stretch through featureless green toward a rocky area with a lot of parallel error potential. Sure enough, I made a big one and it took me a while to recover from it. 8 was inside a natural chimney and wins as the most hidden control of the whole trip, however I navigated to it easily. I tripped over another stump on the way to 9 and hit the ground hard but fortunately the damage was more diffused so I just let out a groan and lay there for about 30 seconds wondering why I was subjecting myself to all this in a rain soaked field 4000 miles from home. Then I got up and spiked the last four controls and remembered how much I love the challenge of the sport. On the way I had to wade through multiple 4 foot deep drainage canals, spring from mossy pillow to pillow through the swamps, climb slippery, lichen covered rock and dodge the prevalent stumps and deadfall. This was all part of the daily orienteering experience in Finland and I simply loved it. Finished 44 of 49.
Note
Ate sandwiches that I snuck out from breakfast while waiting for Clark to finish. He arrived with blood caked on his hands and face. I was really worried about him because he looked like he needed medical attention. It turned out that only his hands were sliced up. The race loosened my leg up a bit and I was glad to be able to "race". I snuck (off limits) into the shower across the hall instead of the common ones at the sport center. I followed this with a nap (ahhhhh) I felt 100% better than yesterday. After washing my clothes in the basin outside by the tents, I walked to the square and found C and C in Kultanian Kuckoo. Wound down with some Soduku and looked forward to my last night's sleep in the school.
Wednesday Jul 18, 2007 #
Note
Clark and I went to breakfast and I made the most of the museli and yogurt offering. I also made a few sandwickes which we had to smuggle out of there in fear of the "lunch lady". It had been raining all night (as usual) so everything was soaked. We made it out to the competition center and got Clark post-registered. It was a short walk/jog to the start. I felt good.
Orienteer race 52:50 [4] ***** 4.76 km (11:06 / km)
shoes: Montrail Vitesse 610
Fin5 day 3 (middle). I was calm going into this race after a great rest day. I planned to continue my strategy of keeping myself concentrating on one of the three main tasks (feet, contact, planning). I went straight to 1 and lost some time around the circle because there were many unmapped boulders. 2 was solid, parallel error to 3, 4 was a grind through crappy woods. I had a great plan and execution to 5 and the WHOOPS, I tripped on a stump at high speed and flew forward... WHAM !!! my thigh landed with nearly my full momentum onto another stump about 2 inches in diameter. YOWCH !!! I've had my share of falls but the intense damage to my thigh completely took me out and I could do nothing but lay there writhing. I went though the questions and decision stages to determine just how hurt I was. Although the pain was intense I decided to try walking and see if I could get myself to a trail back. The next control happened to be on my way off the course so I decided to get it and this somehow instilled enough vitality to get me limping through the last 6 controls. It was starting to be a decent race, too bad I couldn't finish it for real. Finished 43 of 50.
Note
I figured that I must not be too hurt if I could finish the course but I went to the first aid tent anyway. Yikes!! When I pulled up my pants, my compression shorts were soaked with blood and the sight of this made me dizzy. They iced the bruise, cleaned the laceration and sent me out with some ice and a few cold packs. I could barely get out of my clothes so washing them (or myself) was out of the question. I limped to dinner at the Kultanian Kuckoo (decent Italian food) with Clark and Charlie. I couldn't sleep so I stayed up late doing Soduku and another type of logic picture puzzle that Norman showed me.
Tuesday Jul 17, 2007 #
Row 25:00 [3]
Solid and soul rejuvenating night's sleep in cozy cottage. Up at eight for rich coffee and delicious breakfast of Finnish perogies, rolls, cheese, salami, museli berries and yogurt. Clark was clambering for a rowing competition around a remote island and back, I had no interest but Charlie took the challenge. Clark actually got lost and turned in a poor result so Charlie beat him handily. I got swept up in the scene and used my relative youth to win and ham for the cameras on the mock podium.
Note
Lunch of delicious leftovers from dinner & breakfast. The time here was just what I needed on this rest day to recharcharge my batteries. Clark joined us for the rest of the trip and we drove back to the Tampere shopping district. We walked through the town, park and up a hill to overlook tower. The 1E and climb to the top was worth it to see Finland's second largest city stretch around us. We walked back via church and library, stopped for beers on main strip and (on the advice of a street vendor) found an Italian restaurant (Bella Roma) in touristy mall in refurbished/converted factory. We drove to Kaankanpaa in time to settle back into our "dorm" room. The Japanese trio had "land grabbed" our vacated classroom real estate and throuwn our foam pads in a pile. Fortunately our most tactful diplomat (Charlie) was there to straighten things out. I was not tired anymore so I stayed up late to catch-up on this journal.
Monday Jul 16, 2007 #
Orienteer race 1:26:10 [4] ***** 7.74 km (11:08 / km)
shoes: Montrail Vitesse 610
Fin5, day2. Up at 7 a.m. to breakfast solo. Easy walk to 11:30 start. I felt better today and at ease about the day's course because I had adjusted my plans to be less aggressive and much more attentive to map contact. I also wanted to make sure that I slowed as necessary and spiked 1 to get rolling on a good note.
Things started well with a good route to 1 but got waylayed by open rock that caused a brief parallel error. I did ok (not great) through 5 because (although I had good map contact through the leg) I seemed to have difficulty attacking over the last 100 m or so. I still needed practice. My route to 6 was suboptimal and I again had difficulty with the attack. The terrain (and map) to 8 was a jumble to me and I wasted lot of time trying to make sense of it and finally relocate to a boulder. The rest were ok with more attacking problems. Still a lot of room for improvement and well below where I believe I should be. Finished 32/48.
Things started well with a good route to 1 but got waylayed by open rock that caused a brief parallel error. I did ok (not great) through 5 because (although I had good map contact through the leg) I seemed to have difficulty attacking over the last 100 m or so. I still needed practice. My route to 6 was suboptimal and I again had difficulty with the attack. The terrain (and map) to 8 was a jumble to me and I wasted lot of time trying to make sense of it and finally relocate to a boulder. The rest were ok with more attacking problems. Still a lot of room for improvement and well below where I believe I should be. Finished 32/48.
Note
Took competition center showers (not as good and hot as WMOC) and ate some day old sandwiches for lunch. Charlie and I headed off to Tampere for shopping and sightseeing. We walked through the main shopping district and I found a store with beautiful tableware. I went a little crazy with my purchases and wondered how I would get all the breakable stuff home. Took one hour drive further to Jyvaskyla to meet Clark, Sari and Lauri and then followed them to Lauri & Tuovi's (Sari's parent's) beautiful kit log cottage on idyllic lake. We toured the grounds and saw the log cabin & garage, garden, sauna, guest cottage, beach, pier, swimming runway, rowboat, motorboat, pitch pits ruins. These were cool, this property produced pitch for sealing boats 100+ years ago. Charlie, Clark & I took smoke sauna which included self-flagellation with wet birch branches. This was the hottest and most rejuvenating sauna I have ever had and we followed this with skinny-dipping and then shower from a pail with ladels of hot water. Lauri & Tuovi cooked a magnificent dinner of salmon, potatos, mushrooms, & fresh rolls. After politely stuffing myself, I headed off to bed in guest cottage with very comfy beds. Aaahhh...
Sunday Jul 15, 2007 #
Event: Fin5
Note
Awoke to Japanese dorm mate rustling plastic shopping bags two feet from my ear (unpacking and repacking his luggage). After 15 straight minutes of this I snapped at him, "Would you play with your bags later?!?!" and got up. Charlie and I went to the cafeteria for breakfast offering odd selections (porridge, hard boiled eggs, cereal, jam, yogurt, cold cuts, bread and rolls). Good coffee though. Met Alexei from CSU and former US JWOC team member. Made sandwiches for lunch and drove to the muddy meet site. I lost track of time and was almost late to start so I rushed to start in rain. As was almost always the case, the rain stopped for the race but rained constantly otherwise.
Run 17:00 [3] 2.0 mi (8:30 / mi)
shoes: Montrail Vitesse 610
Lost track of time and had to rush to start in rain. Rain stopped right before start.
Orienteer race 1:07:35 [4] ***** 5.1 km (13:15 / km)
shoes: Montrail Vitesse 610
Fin5, day 1. I was out of sorts for a lot of reasons (short on sleep, unhappy with weather & accomodations and even starting to get home sick). This race was a poor one for me. Besides not, having the right mindset the terrain was very difficult for me to get used to. There was so much rock that it had to mapped with 2.5 m countours. Cliffs and boulders had to approach 4 m before they were mapped with black ink. I understand why this mapping is necessary and how prevalent it is for very rocky terrain but it still really took a while for me to get used to. I first experienced it last year at NAOC and a little bit in CO. After completely booming 1, I slowed and took 2 - 4 quite well but learned about A level controls are basically hidden. It is very unlikely the you will see them from the circle unless you are right on top of them. In fact, I stood 15 feet from 8 (lower and in a slit reentrant for a minute wondering why I wasn't seeing it. These were tough lessons learned and I improved significantly over the week. Finished 47/51.
Note
The whole school of "dorm rooms" (as well as the large tent city surrounding it) shared a few showers at the nearby sports center. What a mess of lines and people washing gear, arrggghhh!! We watched an inning of Finnish baseball game. This is different but recognisable as baseball. Norman (the Brittish orienteer living in Portugal) joined us for dinner at another Kebab restaurant. I felt bloated on all the fattly food that I'd been eating but was tired and slept well on my foam pad under my towel with my head resting on my folded coat (earplugs and makeshift eyeshades helped).
Saturday Jul 14, 2007 #
Note
Up early for big road trip to Tampere and then Kankaanpaa for Fin5. Packed everything in car - except my pillow - cleaned cottage. Charlie drove to Gulf of Finland port town of Oulo. Stopped there for early lunch at nice market with delicious food (salmon, meatballs, potatos, mmmmm). I drove to Jyvaskyla and Tom finished the 7 hour trip through rain to Tampere. He parked on the curb by his hotel and we marvelled how he efficiently whisked his bags out and into the hotel for a quick goodbye and we were soon off for Kankaanpaa (we found out later that he left his itinerary and jacket behind). We drove by the massive Fin5 competition center on the way to the event center. We were checked-in by helpful local and shown the classroom which would be our dorm for the week. It included a foam pad, all the elementary art supplies we could ever want, 3 Japanese, 2 Estonians, a Portuguese and a Brit. It was quite a change from Erkki's cabin and I did not know how I would ever get to sleep sans sleeping bag after having lost my pillow. There were few restaurants but we were referred to nearby kebab (i.e. gyro) and pizza joint. I split greasy pie with Charlie and started an emotional slide. Took a walking tour of small village of Kankaanpaa - not much. I knew I could not easily sleep on bare foam with no pillow so we decided it was time to drink. Stayed out really late playing pool and drinking beer specials. Passed-out until...
Friday Jul 13, 2007 #
Run warm up/down 30:00 [2] 3.4 mi (8:49 / mi)
shoes: Montrail Vitesse 610
Up at 7:45. Weather was cloudy, muggy but good temp. Mine was a 12:44 start; late in C final because I had a good seeding (and high hopes). As I left the car for my initial exploration of the finish area, I saw a brand new o-backpack sitting on the ground with a note offering it to anyone needing it. Well I had come to Finland in search of one so I took it and thanked the o-gods for their generosity. I watched Charlie finish his good race and jogged enough for a good warmup.
Orienteer race 1:19:04 [4] 7.4 km (10:41 / km)
shoes: Montrail Vitesse 610
I felt calm at the start with a goal to place in the C final (like I was seeded). I think I got a little wound up because (as I got my map) I just started running along the tracks (with a plan) but things just looked wrong and I immediately began losing map contact and had to stop. I relocation was flawed and I made a beginner-level parallel error. It was just terrible but I quickly calmed down after getting myself together and finding the first control because I knew my hopes of placing were gone and I could just take the controls as they came and enjoy the run. In fact, I had the second best split to 2 and 3 as well as the best split to 5. I should be able to learn something from this about how I operate under racing pressure. I lost a lot of time to 7 and some to 9 by running without thinking. So I made the same errors as in the qualifiers (and in many US races) and still need a fair bit of work. Fortunately, I still have five Finnish races next week to focus on this.
Finished 22 of 78 in the C final and am certain that I am capable of performing much better.
Finished 22 of 78 in the C final and am certain that I am capable of performing much better.
Note
Even though I was dead at the finish, I had enough sense (and energy) for a good warmdown jog. Drank the last of my juice on ride home and ate the last of my bread and olive oil at cabin. Long hot shower, ahhhh. We headed into Kuusamo for decent Chinese dinner and cash. Took one last trip to the event center for internet and WMOC shirt.
We headed north for the 90 minute trip to the Arctic Circle. Saw tons of reindeer on the way up and Tom herded them with the Roomster. Found a great pub at ski resort. Had beers "Kippis!!" with Martti the barkeep and learned about Finnish resort life (fishing, berry-picking, ski seasons). Headed back for our last night in the cabin and were asleep by 12. A VERY busy and fun day.
We headed north for the 90 minute trip to the Arctic Circle. Saw tons of reindeer on the way up and Tom herded them with the Roomster. Found a great pub at ski resort. Had beers "Kippis!!" with Martti the barkeep and learned about Finnish resort life (fishing, berry-picking, ski seasons). Headed back for our last night in the cabin and were asleep by 12. A VERY busy and fun day.
Thursday Jul 12, 2007 #
Hike 1:20:00 [1]
Rest & tourism day did a good job salving my low spirits from yesterday's race. Up at 8:45 & off to Oulankas National Park tour via bus with Tom. Sat across from Sharon Crawford and heard about the accommodations in the gymnasium; made Erki's cottage feel like a palace. Boring PP presentation, good for a quick nap. Beautiful waterfall then nice ridge hike down to cool river. Quick hike back because the bus was departing. Sandwich & Digestives for lunch on bus. Tight schedule but back in time for river rafting tour. Tour included boots, waders & PFD and on quick bus trip. Tom & I in front of our 7 person raft with Germans in back and a young but competent Finn skipper. Short rapids right at the start. An old Finn on floating skis w/ poles us; very cool. Trip alternated rapids & motoring through the lakes. Some quick but exciting rapids. Served coffee & danish at finish lodge. Quiet evening including pasta dinner and planning for the heat C final tomorrow.
Wednesday Jul 11, 2007 #
Run warm up/down 30:00 [2] 3.4 mi (8:49 / mi)
shoes: Montrail Vitesse 610
9:45 wake-up due to everyone's later start. we were shunted into the primo parking spots even with our late arrival. Cloudy but no rain, a bit warmer & humid. Got a good warmup in because I had the last start. Saw Tom come in with a good finish (on the A final bubble). He's an inspiration to me as another fanatical latecomer to the sport.
Orienteer race 1:32:43 [4] **** 8.2 km (11:18 / km)
shoes: Montrail Vitesse 610
I felt pretty calm going into this race. I knew that I just needed to fix my concentration issues and I would make the B final. Unfortunately, things got worse before better. I took it easy on the first one to read the difficult terrain. 2 was fast and 3 started well but ended poorly as my concentration slipped during the long run and I overran the control. I was again rattled for the next few (see a pattern here?) before recovering for some good orienteering in the middle of the course. The "wheels" almost came off on 13-15 so I ended by dragging my nearly broken morale across the last few and the finish. This was certainly my worst race in a long time but I again reaffirmed that my problems are not related to navigation but rather to my varying mental state out on the course. Improving this will take a lot of work and I really look forward to the challenge. Finished 48 of 69 for the race and 42 of 63 in my qualification heat, putting me near the top of the C final.
Tuesday Jul 10, 2007 #
Run warm up/down 30:00 [2] 3.3 mi (9:05 / mi)
shoes: Montrail Vitesse 610
Warm up/down around Qualifier 1 race. I had the early start so we awoke at 7:45 wake for my 10:15 start. It was rainy and cool to only slightly dampen my excitement for the real racing to begin. My warmup run took me to the start where there was a clothing drop to shed my orange shell. I decided to wear my brim hat because it seemed to be raining pretty steadily. Although I'd read about the complex start process, I observed a number of folks going through it so it would be familiar when my time came. I was fairly calm but that would soon change...
Orienteer race 1:28:16 [4] **** 8.7 km (10:09 / km)
shoes: Montrail Vitesse 610
WMOC Qualification 1 Race. After ticking down the minutes in the different stages of the starting chute, I finally got my map and was off. I told myself to start slowly and ramp up as I settled into the map. The rain stopped soon after my start and I felt good as I took safe routes and spiked the first couple. I questioned myself to an easy control 3 made a significant parallel error which I did not recover well. This rattled me and my route choice to 4 was sub-optimal. The next couple were fine but then a loss of concentration to 7 lost more time. Other than another loss of concentration to 11 and a few bobbles, the rest of the race went well. I finished 41 of 69, just outside the B qualification.
I was impressed at how well I orienteered most of the course. I was also encouraged that my mistakes were unrelated to the Finnish terrain and more to my level of concentration. In other words, I don't need to come thousands of miles to make these types of mistakes. I accomplish them quite well at local meets. I found that my mind slips when I am thinking about running so I added a new mental process. I try only to think about 3 types of things while racing:
1) Where my feet are going to land and micro route choice through the terrain ahead.
2) Current leg active and passive navigation.
3) Future leg planning and route choice.
Basically, stay on your feet, find the next control and (with any extra brain cycles) plan for the future. I practiced this and got better with it over the next couple races.
I was impressed at how well I orienteered most of the course. I was also encouraged that my mistakes were unrelated to the Finnish terrain and more to my level of concentration. In other words, I don't need to come thousands of miles to make these types of mistakes. I accomplish them quite well at local meets. I found that my mind slips when I am thinking about running so I added a new mental process. I try only to think about 3 types of things while racing:
1) Where my feet are going to land and micro route choice through the terrain ahead.
2) Current leg active and passive navigation.
3) Future leg planning and route choice.
Basically, stay on your feet, find the next control and (with any extra brain cycles) plan for the future. I practiced this and got better with it over the next couple races.
Note
Because of my early start, I had a lot of time to wait for Charlie and Tom to finish. I decided to try the shower tent and fortunately found a semi-private area and it was hot and very refreshing. Chowed a sandwich and saw Tom finish well. Back to cabin for laundry, event center for maps and email. Charlie stayed there for beers w/ Kevin while Tom and I headed back to cabin for spaghetti. I later got Charlie and he raved about seeing summer ski jumping there at the Midnight Sun games. We watched an interesting Churchill documentary then to the loft for dreams of an even better race tomorrow.
Monday Jul 9, 2007 #
Note
Up at 7:45, big breakfast of frosted flakes, cottage cheese, yogurt & bananas. Off to model 1. Needed to park and take the bus there due to limited parking. Then we immediately headed to model 2 after having a snack in the car.
Orienteer 1:00:00 [2]
shoes: Montrail Vitesse 610
Model 1. Cloudy and drizzly. I took the model controls out of order so I wouldn't be surrounded by dozens of people the whole time. My feet immediately got wet from the moss and swamps and I realized that I'd ALWAYS be running in wet feet so I'd better stop trying to dodge the swamps and just deal with them because they were they were reasonable fast because there was no muck, only moss. My orienteering was decent (probably because I walked most of it) but I had some difficulty with the pine saplings obscuring the contours and there seemed to be more clearing than mapped. I learned later that only very obvious ones are shown. Good practice, confidence is high.
Orienteer 1:00:00 [2]
shoes: Montrail Vitesse 610
Model 2. Different terrain from model 1 and billed as being similar to that of the final. It had taller trees and a bunch of similar sized hills making parallel errors a big concern. I managed to make one of these early and this was a good lesson to get in practice. I again walked for much of it got much more familiar with the mapping techniques. Confidence is high.
Note
Back to the cabin for lunch, showers & laundry. To event center for internet connection; there were only four workstations so there was always a line and 10 minute limit. This was a big hassle but one I would have to become used to over the following two weeks.
Then we headed into Kuusamo for bank, Avis, dinner & the opening ceremony parade. This quaint little town by a lake had a nice main street with shopping but few restaurants (we finally learned that "dining out" is not part of the culture). Avis was hard to find but Charlie resolved the insurance coverage issue. We found a great Italian restaurant for chicken pasta dinner with cream sauce, parmesan cheese & pineapple. We finished just in time to see the parade come by wit the US at the end right before Finland. There were only five representing us so we jumped in for a few pictures. We headed back to cabin early to rest for the first day of competition tomorrow.
Then we headed into Kuusamo for bank, Avis, dinner & the opening ceremony parade. This quaint little town by a lake had a nice main street with shopping but few restaurants (we finally learned that "dining out" is not part of the culture). Avis was hard to find but Charlie resolved the insurance coverage issue. We found a great Italian restaurant for chicken pasta dinner with cream sauce, parmesan cheese & pineapple. We finished just in time to see the parade come by wit the US at the end right before Finland. There were only five representing us so we jumped in for a few pictures. We headed back to cabin early to rest for the first day of competition tomorrow.
Sunday Jul 8, 2007 #
Event: WMOC 2007
Note
Daddy, If you get my note, please write me back cause I really miss you!!
-Katie
-Katie
Note
Another note from Katie above. I finally emailed her today so and had a dialog with her the whole time I was there.
I again overslept and we dallied around before getting to registration at 12. We skated through quickly and the lines soon got very long. I found the computer room and fired off a few quick emails to let folks know that all is well. The other competitors were the same genre as WMOC 2005 in Edmonton two years ago. We were the babies of the group. We visited the merchants selling o-gear from their massive tents. They had every piece of o-equipment and o-shoe manufactured. I was overwhelmed but did find my favorite clue sheet holder which is no longer sold in the US. I bought 10 of them at 20% off. I considered other purchases but decided to visit them later. I had a reindeer burger for lunch. It was as tasty as it sounds. Then we made a big grocery store run (at the S or K Market, I forget which). The re was little fresh produce, great beards and the brands of processed food that I'd never seen before (except Dannon yogurt). My best purchase was a bottle of olive oil and a beautiful loaf of bread. I got a new loaf about every day and this made a great snack. We returned to the cabin to prepare for the midnight sun race. After the race we returned home for a monster pasta pack, laundry and bed at a sane time.
I again overslept and we dallied around before getting to registration at 12. We skated through quickly and the lines soon got very long. I found the computer room and fired off a few quick emails to let folks know that all is well. The other competitors were the same genre as WMOC 2005 in Edmonton two years ago. We were the babies of the group. We visited the merchants selling o-gear from their massive tents. They had every piece of o-equipment and o-shoe manufactured. I was overwhelmed but did find my favorite clue sheet holder which is no longer sold in the US. I bought 10 of them at 20% off. I considered other purchases but decided to visit them later. I had a reindeer burger for lunch. It was as tasty as it sounds. Then we made a big grocery store run (at the S or K Market, I forget which). The re was little fresh produce, great beards and the brands of processed food that I'd never seen before (except Dannon yogurt). My best purchase was a bottle of olive oil and a beautiful loaf of bread. I got a new loaf about every day and this made a great snack. We returned to the cabin to prepare for the midnight sun race. After the race we returned home for a monster pasta pack, laundry and bed at a sane time.
Run (path) 42:00 [2] 4.7 mi (8:56 / mi)
shoes: Mizuno WR 601
Morning run from our cabin. We were right on a lake but there was not the expected trail around it. We ended up on the opposite side of 5 running on some dirt roads. Ran with some reindeer for a bit and marveled at the amazing terrain with the mossy footing and pine & birch tree vegetation. Little did I know how familiar I would become with this homogeneous terrain over the next two weeks.
Saturday Jul 7, 2007 #
Note
Awoke at the Hotelli Uuskiuu after a great night sleep on a very comfy bed. No visible clock to synch with during the inevitable morning stirrings so I kept going back to sleep. Finally decided to find my watch... Whah?? 10:45, I haven't slept that late since college. With all of yesterday's various naps, I was surprised that I was capable of sleeping so late. I thought I could quickly adapt to the 8 hour time change but I guess not. Quick drive to downtown Mikkeli where we found another Presso deli for a good sandwich. We sat on the second floor overlooking the Saturday Mikkeli market. I imagine it's been happening here for almost 1000 years. We then took in the only cultural stop on the Kuusamo express and visited the Finnish WW2 Headquarters. Enough was translated to piece together Finland's unfortunate role in the war. They seemed to be hung out to dry by the allies but had the strategic geographic advantage of being close to Leningrad & the Murmansk railway. Since they had already been fighting the Soviets in 1939, they were ready to ally with Germany in 1941 for self-preservation (or such was the contemporary spin). In the end, they lost a lot of land to Russia (including Karelia) as well as their Arctic sea port; a heavy toll.
The next 6 hours were spent zooming in the Roomster to our cottage up in Ruka (just north of Kuusamo). We had some difficulty finding our cabin and then figuring out where to get the keys. After searching, querying and sleuthing we determined that the landlord (Erkki) lived in a house across the street. We awoke him at 10:30 and got the key but had to return again because I could not unlock the door. He fussed and mumbled something (about braindead Americans, I'm sure) and drove over to quickly unlock it with our set of keys. After prostrating ourselves in apology, he returned to his nice warm house and bed, I'm sure. We fortunately found Pizza Ruka open late and they even had a passable salad bar. I had a lot of difficulty falling asleep. It will take me at least another night to get my clock synched.
The next 6 hours were spent zooming in the Roomster to our cottage up in Ruka (just north of Kuusamo). We had some difficulty finding our cabin and then figuring out where to get the keys. After searching, querying and sleuthing we determined that the landlord (Erkki) lived in a house across the street. We awoke him at 10:30 and got the key but had to return again because I could not unlock the door. He fussed and mumbled something (about braindead Americans, I'm sure) and drove over to quickly unlock it with our set of keys. After prostrating ourselves in apology, he returned to his nice warm house and bed, I'm sure. We fortunately found Pizza Ruka open late and they even had a passable salad bar. I had a lot of difficulty falling asleep. It will take me at least another night to get my clock synched.
Friday Jul 6, 2007 #
Note
Daddy,
Please don't get mad at me for going on your Attack Point.
Mommy said I could and I hope you wouldn't mind if I dropped by to say hi. We miss you at home and it feels so lonely since almost everybody left. BUT THAT MEANS MORE WATER SKIING!!! I hope you are having a good time at Finland and GOOD LUCK!
You are such a special Daddy who can take care of his family and who can stay fit and healthy too! I'm you you can have time to do what you want and who can comfort us too!
-Katie
P.S. Say hi to "Soupbone" for me! And make sure you learn some "Finnish" so you can teach me it at home. :-}
LOVE YA!!!!
Write me back
If you don't want my letter hanging around here, you can always delete it.
(I'll show you how)
Please don't get mad at me for going on your Attack Point.
Mommy said I could and I hope you wouldn't mind if I dropped by to say hi. We miss you at home and it feels so lonely since almost everybody left. BUT THAT MEANS MORE WATER SKIING!!! I hope you are having a good time at Finland and GOOD LUCK!
You are such a special Daddy who can take care of his family and who can stay fit and healthy too! I'm you you can have time to do what you want and who can comfort us too!
-Katie
P.S. Say hi to "Soupbone" for me! And make sure you learn some "Finnish" so you can teach me it at home. :-}
LOVE YA!!!!
Write me back
If you don't want my letter hanging around here, you can always delete it.
(I'll show you how)
Note
Above message from Katie was written to me while I was in FInland. It's just precious and I can't believe she thought I might be mad at her for writing to me through it.
I awoke for good finally after a very fitful night sleep due to the fully reclined seat invading my personal space in front of me. I watched the little map of our plane flying across Britain, Calais and across Germany to Munich.
Cleared EU customs in 1 minute. I thought this odd after being cowed by the TSA and tight US immigration (going to/from Canada) going to/from Canada. Munich airport very modern with lots of duty free shopping. So many big bright stores and advertisements that I had trouble finding my gate between them all. I had a while before my flight to change money & nap. Almost slept through boarding. The boarding process had us take a bus to the plane parked remote from terminal. Curious but saved cost of airport infrastructure, I guess.
The flight to Helsinki was shorter with good ravioli lunch. Lufthansa = good food. Descended through clouds for first view of Helsinki. Noted few suburbs & more apartments.
Found Tom immediately upon exit from security. Had 2 hour wait for Charlie in Presso cafe, like Starbucks. Talked sailboat racing and orienteering and got to know a fellow "geek". Charlie had 2 rental car reservations cancelled due to his flight sched changes. This looked really bad. Avis agent finally took pity on us and rented us a Skoda Roomster. It looked tiny from the outside but had ample cargo and person space. We made lots of Roomster jokes but quickly became very quite fond of it.
2.5 hour trip to Mikkeli with stop in Lahti for tasty Italian dinner and overpriced beer. Nice central square and visited winter sports center with XC ski trails & 3 ski jumps. Found the Hotelli Uusikuu in Mikkeli and entered emailed passcode into keypad and it opened into our Ikea furnished dorm room. It was clean with comfy beds. Although we didn't know it, this was by far the most "comfortable" accomodations of the trip. I slept very soundly.
I awoke for good finally after a very fitful night sleep due to the fully reclined seat invading my personal space in front of me. I watched the little map of our plane flying across Britain, Calais and across Germany to Munich.
Cleared EU customs in 1 minute. I thought this odd after being cowed by the TSA and tight US immigration (going to/from Canada) going to/from Canada. Munich airport very modern with lots of duty free shopping. So many big bright stores and advertisements that I had trouble finding my gate between them all. I had a while before my flight to change money & nap. Almost slept through boarding. The boarding process had us take a bus to the plane parked remote from terminal. Curious but saved cost of airport infrastructure, I guess.
The flight to Helsinki was shorter with good ravioli lunch. Lufthansa = good food. Descended through clouds for first view of Helsinki. Noted few suburbs & more apartments.
Found Tom immediately upon exit from security. Had 2 hour wait for Charlie in Presso cafe, like Starbucks. Talked sailboat racing and orienteering and got to know a fellow "geek". Charlie had 2 rental car reservations cancelled due to his flight sched changes. This looked really bad. Avis agent finally took pity on us and rented us a Skoda Roomster. It looked tiny from the outside but had ample cargo and person space. We made lots of Roomster jokes but quickly became very quite fond of it.
2.5 hour trip to Mikkeli with stop in Lahti for tasty Italian dinner and overpriced beer. Nice central square and visited winter sports center with XC ski trails & 3 ski jumps. Found the Hotelli Uusikuu in Mikkeli and entered emailed passcode into keypad and it opened into our Ikea furnished dorm room. It was clean with comfy beds. Although we didn't know it, this was by far the most "comfortable" accomodations of the trip. I slept very soundly.
Thursday Jul 5, 2007 #
Note
Jill drove me to the 3 p.m. train from Fitchburg. It was hard to say goodbye but I was excited about my upcoming adventure. I got settled in my seat and read an ONA until the train's motion brought on the inevitable sleep. I awoke as we passed through Acton (where Jill went to high school) and I thought we were getting close to the station. No such luck as there was still a ways to go before I transferred to the T red line subway. As in Chicago, they have paper tickets with magnetized strips to hold fares. Although I did not notice the name at the time, my "Charlie Ticket" would provide some laughs in the future. I rode the subway (with all the commuters) to the silver line bus to Logan. I arrived 3 hours before departure. I checked-in and passed through security with my oversized backpack. *Whew!* I did not trust Munich baggage handlers to turn around my bag in the 90 minute layover there. I had no reading materials outside of my ONAs so I bought history book. Had an early dinner of airport food in the hopes that a full belly would help me fall asleep early. I boarded to my aisle seat with a lanky neighbor and his noisy PSP; it could be worse. I read a little & slept an hour before a decent pasta dinner was served. Then followed 4 hours of low quality twilight sleep because seat too narrow limiting positions and my small front neighbor reclined fully (almost to my chin, it seemed).
Wednesday Jul 4, 2007 #
Run warm up/down (road) 30:00 [2] 3.3 mi (9:05 / mi)
shoes: Mizuno WR 601
Warm up/down around the race. I did 20 minutes and a few strides before the race. I felt ready to go.
Run race (road) 25:36 [5] 4.0 mi (6:24 / mi)
shoes: Mizuno WR 601
Terribly executed race, a complete "fly & die". I was too wired at the start and went out WAY too fast. I was shooting for consistent 6:30s but went anaerobic almost immediately and everything hurt after the first mile. I slowed but it took until mile 3 before my HR was back was under control. I was "huffing and puffing" the whole time and even contemplated walking... =O
... but I didn't and did my best to roll smoothly through the finish. I took splits but didn't look at my watch until then. Whah? sub-26?? Wasn't that my goal? Despite my terrible race, it was a half decent time (for me). So, after beating myself up about the execution, I need to give myself some credit for persisting. Splits:
5:48, 6:19, 6:51, 6:38
... but I didn't and did my best to roll smoothly through the finish. I took splits but didn't look at my watch until then. Whah? sub-26?? Wasn't that my goal? Despite my terrible race, it was a half decent time (for me). So, after beating myself up about the execution, I need to give myself some credit for persisting. Splits:
5:48, 6:19, 6:51, 6:38
Note
Jill, Joseph & Samantha also raced. Bill, Christine, Jim (Bill's brother) and his wife Caroline also made the trip as spectators so this turned out to be quite an event. Although I was in my own world, the three seemed pretty calm before the race. It was an "out and back" so I kept looking for them on my return. I saw J & S running together and seemed to be doing quite well. Jill was a little further back and we cheered each other. After I finished, I jogged out to see them run the final 700m to the finish. Joseph appeared first and looked like he'd not even broken a sweat. I yelled for him a few times and when he glimpsed the finish line he dropped the hammer and burned by at least 7 people. He nipped a woman at the finish line and she actually swore "damn kid" at him !!! He was good natured about it knowing that he didn't do anything wrong and I also think he secretly enjoyed getting an adult "riled". Samantha was right behind Joseph with an excellent race too. Jill beat her goal but lamented that she was passed near the end by the "gimmick runner" dressed as Superman (cape and all).
Their times j- 31:45, S- 32:20, J- 37:15.
Their times j- 31:45, S- 32:20, J- 37:15.
Run (road) 36:00 [2] 3.7 mi (9:44 / mi)
shoes: Mizuno WR 601
After the 30 minute drive back, I still had some energy and felt that I need a better warmdown so went for an easy run. I reflected on the day's run as well as the upcoming journey. I think I am taking races too seriously now and putting myself under pressure. I need to (and will) back off before Tuesday.
Tuesday Jul 3, 2007 #
Note
I found my log entry from the last time I did tomorrow's race:
4 on the 4th
At the time I was a rookie to road racing and was just finding my stride. It's notable how much I had left for the last mile. I have not run a race this short since then so I thought a little pace analysis would fill this quiet morning. I'm kicking around an attempt at a 6:30 pace but also tempering that thought with what's best prep for Finland.
4 on the 4th
At the time I was a rookie to road racing and was just finding my stride. It's notable how much I had left for the last mile. I have not run a race this short since then so I thought a little pace analysis would fill this quiet morning. I'm kicking around an attempt at a 6:30 pace but also tempering that thought with what's best prep for Finland.
Swim (lake) 25:00 [2]
Decided that a short swim would loosen me up a bit. I headed down to the dock before anyone was awake and went across the bay and back. My swim shorts reminded me of wearing a drag suit years ago and my arms got tired quickly because I am way out of swimming shape... =(
...but it served its purpose and I can loaf and eat for the rest of the day.
...but it served its purpose and I can loaf and eat for the rest of the day.
Monday Jul 2, 2007 #
Run warm up/down (road) 28:00 [2] 3.0 mi (9:20 / mi)
shoes: Mizuno WR 601
Quiet but cool morning at the lake so no one was motivated to go boating. After my recent putzy runs I wanted to add some intensity but couldn't seem to get myself out the door. We eventually did a water ski stint which was much like yesterday except that everyone skiied a little better. Jill wanted to go for a run before lunch and this was just what I needed to get moving. We ran to 119 and my legs were heavy and I did not want to do my tempo run. I did a few strides and this made me feel good enough to give it an attempt and (of course) the...
Run tempo (road) 19:56 [3] 2.9 mi (6:52 / mi)
shoes: Mizuno WR 601
Tempo run felt good along the small rolling hills. I didn't set any pace goal but am quite sure my HR was just below threshold so I was at proper pace. The VDOT from my last few races has me at 7:10/mile for T pace but I believe that that these long races are not representative of my actual VDOT. I rather believe that I am around 50 and this would put my T pace at 6:50 and fit with today's run.
Run (road) 20:00 [2] 1.8 mi (11:07 / mi)
shoes: Mizuno WR 601
Joseph and Samantha also decided to run in the Keene race on the 4th so they needed at least one warm-up run before then. I led them down to the dam and back. It will be fun to have this run be a family event.
Sunday Jul 1, 2007 #
Note
The kids all slept in the tent last night although it was quite chilly (low 40s) and even doused them with rain at the beginning. At 2:30 a.m. the exodus started with the youngest heading into the warm house. Soon Samantha and finally Katie couldn't take the temps. Note that none of them had real sleeping bags nor were dressed properly for the temps. Joseph lasted the night and came in as I was on my first cup of coffee. He had a confused look on his face and asked where everyone was because he thought he was the last one up and was missing some fun activity. He puffed-up to learn that he was the only one to make it through the night in the tent and that the others were still sleeping.
At breakfast people started talking about water skiing. I knew that I had a while before folks finished eating and the plans coalesced into the boat actually leaving the dock. This gave me just enough time for a...
At breakfast people started talking about water skiing. I knew that I had a while before folks finished eating and the plans coalesced into the boat actually leaving the dock. This gave me just enough time for a...
Run (road) 1:17:50 [2] 8.3 mi (9:23 / mi)
shoes: Mizuno WR 601
Lap around Lake Monomonac. More perfect running weather and it was quiet except for the mile or so along 202. I felt smooth and had to hold myself back from not running too hard. I made it back just as the group was headed down to the docks for water skiing.
Note
So the kids all piled into the bow area of the boat and we headed out onto the lake. The kids got a kick out of our going back and forth between MA & NH dozens of times over the course of the trip. I guess they expect manned border crossings at the state lines or something.
After topping off the gas we got all set up to ski around our favorite island in a quiet area of the lake. Katie and Joseph had skiied two years ago and they got up quickly and "whooped" their way around the island multiple times. I haven't done it in a while but remember it as quite an adrenaline charge. They are speed freaks and were always calling for more power and also know to whip to the outside of the turns for extra speed. They lasted quite a while and eventually let go and slowly glided to a stop (also lots of fun). Samantha had never skiied before and had five of us giving her our own variant of instructions on how to do it. She sifted through this overwhelming amount of advice and (after a few attempts) was able to get up for almost 50 yards but seemed fatigued from the early attempts and that was it. Getting up is (by far) the most difficult and I'm sure she will be up and going later tomorrow. I was tempted to try but am really a wussie about doing stuff where I risk injury.
After topping off the gas we got all set up to ski around our favorite island in a quiet area of the lake. Katie and Joseph had skiied two years ago and they got up quickly and "whooped" their way around the island multiple times. I haven't done it in a while but remember it as quite an adrenaline charge. They are speed freaks and were always calling for more power and also know to whip to the outside of the turns for extra speed. They lasted quite a while and eventually let go and slowly glided to a stop (also lots of fun). Samantha had never skiied before and had five of us giving her our own variant of instructions on how to do it. She sifted through this overwhelming amount of advice and (after a few attempts) was able to get up for almost 50 yards but seemed fatigued from the early attempts and that was it. Getting up is (by far) the most difficult and I'm sure she will be up and going later tomorrow. I was tempted to try but am really a wussie about doing stuff where I risk injury.